Comatose
by SVUCSIWTRDOOLluver
Summary: RE-POST! I changed something big in this story so I just deleted it and reposted it, still the same story where Bella gets attacked and nearly dies, but she loses her memory. Will she ever remember Edward? Multi-chapter, Chapter 6 is up!
1. Almost All He Could Do

I was making a video with all of my favorite TV shows/movies/books and I suddenly thought of an idea for a great Carlisle/Bella father/daughter fic! Extremely (and I mean EXTREMELY) angsty, with adult themes, but not graphic. I'm talking about rape and abuse. :( Enjoy!

There was only one person in the Cullen's house, which wasn't very unusual, as Emmett, Jasper and Edward had gone to hunt, and Alice dragged Esme and Rosalie to go shopping in New York City for the day. Carlisle was on call, so he declined to go hunting and was sitting at his desk, reading his latest novel. Bella was at home, no doubt sleeping, as it was creeping close to midnight. His thoughts strayed to his son's upcoming nuptials to Bella. A smile appeared on his face, but then his musings were interrupted by the shrill ringing of his cell. Instantly he picked up, saying,

"Alice?"

"Oh my God, Carlisle, you have to help Bella!" Alice said, her voice strangled, obviously in the middle of a vision.

"Where is she?" Carlisle said calmly, already inside his car and speeding down the road.

"I, I don't know, she's being dragged from her house, and, and, oh my God they shot Charlie!" Alice cried out, and Carlisle pulled up to the Swan's house, immediately appearing inside and seeing Charlie's prone figure lying gasping for air in the living room, shot with his own gun.

Carlisle's steady fingers worked to stop the bleeding of the two shots, one in his chest, and one in his stomach. He grabbed the Swans' phone and dialed straight to the ambulance service in Forks, giving them the address and telling them to hurry. Alice was babbling in his ear, saying,

"They, they're taking Bella to an alley, I, they're not there yet, obviously they're drunk, and," Alice suddenly broke off, and Carlisle demanded as calmly as he could,

"What, Alice?"

"They're going to gang up on her, and, and,"

"Rape her." Carlisle said flatly, his voice cold to the core.

"Yes," Alice breathed, and Carlisle could hear Esme's and Rosalie's horrified intakes of air in the background.

"I'll find her, Alice," Carlisle vowed and hung up. The ambulance pulled up as Carlisle dashed out of the house, closing his eyes as he ran and letting his instincts take over, searching desperately for Bella's scent. No matter how hard he tried to stay calm in a situation like this, the fact that Bella was in severe danger was unbalancing that calm with horror and terror.

Within a few minutes, he caught her scent, on the outskirts of Forks, and sped through the streets until he could hear four guys laughing uproariously. He appeared at the beginning of the alley and saw a dark figure lying on the ground, while two of them zipped up their jeans and the other two started kicking the figure Carlisle knew to be Bella. He was within feet of them when Bella's high-pitched, pain-filled whimper reached his ears.

Fury bubbled up inside of him, and instinctively he fell forward into a crouch, a terrifying snarl ripping from his mouth. The four men turned to stare, and he stalked forward, the idea of killing them suddenly very appealing to him. His humane nature won out, and he managed to keep his head as he quickly incapacitated all of them men, simply by punching them to knock them out, and binding their hands, feet and mouths. He stood with contempt over them, and then was at Bella's side, glad to let the law take care of the four low-lives who didn't deserve to live.

He barely breathed as he appeared at Bella's prone figure. Her chest was heaving, and her arms were protectively covering her stomach, where the men had been kicking at her. Her sobs tore at Carlisle, and he covered his mouth, appalled that this had happened to Bella under his watch.

Carlisle was almost afraid to touch Bella, for fear of hurting her, but he then realized her sobbing had quieted. But now she was barely breathing, and he quickly rolled her onto her back, feeling for broken bones. He found numerous, and as gently as he could, he picked Bella up and within seconds he was striding into the emergency room, giving orders. "Nancy, get Bella Swan prepped for surgery, I need to change and I'll be in the OR in 5,"

Nancy brought a stretcher and she, along with a few other nurses, started changing Bella and giving her anesthesia. Carlisle was ready to operate in less than a minute, but he quickly picked up his phone and dialed Alice, who had already seen Carlisle finding Bella, but she saw Bella dying on the operating table. "I'll do everything I can, Alice," He assured her, and Alice said,

"Everything, Carlisle?"

"I, I don't know, Alice, that was supposed to be Edward's decision,"

"And he'd thank you for saving her life, no matter what." Alice said firmly, and added quietly, "Please, Carlisle, save Bella. She's family." Alice hung up, and Carlisle let the phone drop to where his coat was laying, and he murmured,

"She is family. She's my daughter, and I am damn well not going to let her die on the table."

With that, he strode quickly through the halls and into the OR, where a few doctors were already losing her.

Bella and Carlisle were in surgery for well over an hour, by that time, all of the Cullens were sitting in the waiting room. Alice and Esme had their hands locked on Edward's arms, forcing him to stay sitting in the chair but also restraining, in case, everything didn't turn out right. No one wanted Edward going to the Volturi again.

Emmett and Rosalie stood in the corner, and Rosalie looked like she was going to cry, while Emmett kept looking at the swinging doors, hoping to see Carlisle walk through. Jasper was sitting by Alice's side, keeping his arms wrapped around her frame.

Alice suddenly sat up at the 2 hour mark, almost shaking as she whispered, "One of the doctor's is going to give up, say she's dead because they can't bring her pulse back up." Everyone stared straight at the doors, while one of the doctors was indeed giving up.

"Carlisle, we can't save her." Dr. Domino said mournfully, and Carlisle swore, uncharacteristically for him, saying,

"Dammit Mark, yes we can! I have to, and I will,"

Mark shrugged, and took his gloves off, walking through the doors. He was almost instantly surrounded by the Cullens, and he said, "Your father's not giving up, but I'm afraid she can't be brought back. Her pulse has been going flat for the past hour,"

"Carlisle'll save her," Edward muttered, sitting back down and dropping his head into his hands.

The minutes ticked by, and finally Carlisle walked out, a tired, emotionally-drained look on his face. He held up a hand to his family, and when he was closer to them, and Jacob, who had been called by Edward, he said quietly, "I did almost all I could do," He said gently, looking straight at Alice, who understood. Everyone else did too, and he continued, "She fell into a coma. Her body needs time to recover, as does her mind. She was repeatedly beaten, and raped. That's not something her mind can overcome easily, so I honestly don't know how long she'll be in a coma, but she's still breathing."

"Sometimes people never come out of comas," Edward said raggedly, and Carlisle inclined his head, saying,

"Yes, but I believe Bella will. Is it my impartial, medical opinion? No, I can't say if she ever will wake up. But is it my daughter lying in there? Yes, I believe with my entire being she will wake up."

Esme slipped her arms around his waist and he pulled her close, resting his head on hers, closing his eyes. Edward was already in Bella's room, as were the rest of the Cullens and Jacob. None of them seemed to notice the smell on either part, they were too worried about Bella. Carlisle linked his hand with Esme's and they walked to Bella's room together, slowly for them.

End of chapter 1! Like I said, extremely angsty, and the next chapter probably won't get any happier. Mostly it's the months going by while Bella's in her coma, but we do find out how Charlie's doing. And since I'm kinda overhauling this story, he may not be doing well. Not sure yet. But if there's any incorrect medical information or scenes, I apologize, I am not a doctor, I don't intend to be a doctor, and if you know that I wrote something wrong, feel free to correct me, and I will change it! Thanks so much for reading, adios for now!


	2. Edward Who?

Chapter 2 is up! Now we find out how Charlie's doing, while Bella's still in a coma. More Carlisle/Bella to come, though more Edward/Bella and Carlisle/Esme. Enjoy!

Carlisle left his family in Bella's room to see how Charlie was faring. The doctor that had operated on him, Dr. Snow, was walking out of the OR when Carlisle found him. "I know you did all you could for Chief Swan, Carlisle, but I don't think he'll make it through the night." Dr. Snow said sadly, and Carlisle cursed Bella's luck to the deepest pits of hell.

When Carlisle walked into Charlie's room, Charlie startled himself awake and when he saw Carlisle, Charlie demanded hoarsely,

"Where's Bella? Where's my girl?"

"Chief Swan, I operated on her myself, and she's breathing, but she's in a coma. I can't tell you her condition mentally, but physically she's recovering. She had a broken arm, a fractured tibia in her leg, a few cracked ribs, her jaw was bruised, not broken, she's got a black eye and the emotional scars to last a lifetime." Carlisle said quietly, sitting down at Charlie's side.

"Where're those bastards? I'll kill them myself!" Charlie growled, struggling to sit up. Carlisle's cool, restraining hands kept him from getting too far, saying,

"Chief, please, you need to keep still, you could open your wounds again and that wouldn't be good," Charlie settled down, still trembling from fury and horror over what had happened to his baby girl.

"I, I want them locked up," He sputtered, and Carlisle let go of him, saying,

"I'll make sure they are."

"Dr. Cullen," Charlie began, and Carlisle said smoothly,

"It's Carlisle please,"

"All right, Carlisle, Dr. Snow told me I'm gonna die. The bullets lodged in a place that they can't get them out without killing me, but if they stay in they're gonna kill me." Charlie said flatly, and Carlisle's eyes smoldered.

"I'll get them out, if you'll allow me, Chief Swan."

"It's Charlie, and I've lived my life. All I want is to see my daughter's eyes one last time, and to tell her goodbye. Then I can say goodbye." Charlie said, tears swimming into his eyes.

"I'll do my best to fulfill that request, Charlie, I give my word." Carlisle swore, and Charlie couldn't doubt the sincerity in his voice. The two men shook hands, and Carlisle walked out of the room, his face crumbling into one of anger, fear and aghast.

Esme appeared right in front of him, wrapping her arms around his waist. He slipped his arms around her shoulders and let himself lean on her for support, burying his face in her hair while she snuggled closer to his chest.

Sometimes, that's all he needed. "I love you." He murmured to Esme, and she whispered,

"I love you too."

Bella and Charlie had been attacked in early March, and the month flew by, soon it was April. Halfway through the month, Carlisle was checking on Charlie, and informed him that Bella was still the same, with no change in sight. It was a miracle that Charlie had survived March, let alone this far in April. His condition was deteriorating slowly, and Carlisle knew that if Bella didn't awake soon, Charlie would die, without seeing his daughter's eyes again.

Carlisle shook Charlie's hand and then took his leave, gliding down the hallways when he heard Alice's piercing scream. It took all of his control, but he managed to walk towards Bella's room at the normal running pace of a human. When he got there, he found his family arguing with the head nurse, trying to get back in Bella's room. I strode into the group, holding up my hand for silence and strode into Bella's room.

"She's not breathing, doctor," One of the nurses warned, and instantly Carlisle went to work, ordering a few nurses to start CPR while he bent down to Bella's face, checking her eye response. It seemed to him that she had just given on up living. Quickly he whispered in her ear,

"Isabella Marie Swan, if you don't want to live for yourself, live for Charlie, for Renée, for Edward, for Jacob, for all of us, live for me, just live! Please, Bella, breathe," His voice must've permeated through her brain because her mouth opened and she sucked in a huge breath of air. Carlisle released the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, and quickly he checked her pulse, seeing it stable, and as the nurses cleared out, he sat down next to Bella and kept her limp, warm hand in his own hands.

He clearly thought to Edward, _please, let me talk to her for a minute, she's perfectly fine. _When the rest of the family didn't come in immediately, he sent a grateful thank you to Edward.

Quietly he said in her ear, "Bella, if you can hear me, squeeze my hand," He waited, but no response came. He knew she could hear him, so he breathed, "Please, Bella, please," A few moments passed, and Carlisle felt the slightest of pressure on his hand. A relieved smile broke out on his face, and he could feel the tears welling up in his eyes from happiness. True, she wasn't awake yet, but it was a huge step in the right direction.

He decided to see if he could get a yes or no answer from her, saying, "Bella, squeeze once for yes, twice for no, do you know where you are?" He held his breath while he waited, and when Bella squeezed his hand once, and didn't squeeze again, he sighed, laying his hand on her cheek and saying gently,

"Do you remember what happened?" Bella squeezed his hand twice, and Carlisle knew that retrograde amnesia was common with her type of trauma. "Okay, that's okay," He said soothingly, and left his hand on Bella's face until Edward came in and pressed his lips to her forehead. Carlisle got up to leave, and Edward said quietly,

"Please, stay, she trusts you," Carlisle looked at his son, and nodded, sitting back down.

"She'll wake up, Edward, I'm confident of that now," Carlisle said, a hint of pride coming through. He knew Bella could pull through, and that she was communicating showed she was an extremely strong, resilient person. That was something Carlisle already knew, and this only proved it to everyone else.

By the end of the month of April, Bella was able to move her hand, as to beckon someone over closer to her or gesture to push them away. Carlisle honestly didn't know why she wasn't waking up, and none of them were prepared for the actual reason.

In the early days of May, everyone had gone hunting, except Carlisle. The family had settled into a pattern, Carlisle would hunt alone, and then the rest of the family would leave for a day to hunt when it was necessary.

He got an excited call from Alice, and he said, "Calm down, Alice, and tell me what you saw."

"It's Bella! She's going to wake up in 5 minutes!" Alice squealed, and Carlisle quickly appeared into Bella's room, sitting by her side.

"All right, I'm with her. Finish up, then come back home," Carlisle said firmly, and Alice just squealed in response and hung up. He knew it was only going to be a few minutes before Edward got there, and a little longer for the rest of them.

He kept Bella's warm hand in his, and rubbed small circles on the back of her hand for a few minutes. Her eyelids suddenly started to flicker, and then snapped open as she sat up, choking back a dry sob. Wild brown eyes flitted around the room until they focused on Carlisle. Confusion filled her eyes, but before she could speak, Carlisle said,

"Bella, you're okay, you're in the hospital,"

"I, I know, I was hit by a car, but," Bella said, obviously disoriented.

"Car?" Bella, you were attacked by four men," Carlisle said, confusion on his face now too.

"No, I was walking home from school, going home, and a car hit me as I crossed the street," Bella said slowly, and then looked out the window, adding, "Where am I?"

"Forks, Washington,"

Her frozen brown eyes looked back into his golden ones, saying slowly, "I live in Phoenix, with my mother, not Forks with my father,"

"Bella, you've been in Forks since your junior year,"

"But, I just started my junior year, in Phoenix! Who are you, anyways?" Bella demanded, trying to get up. Carlisle restrained her and said slowly, starting to understand,

"Dr. Carlisle Cullen, Edward's father,"

"Edward who?" Bella said in confusion, and they both heard an agonized gasp from the doorway.

"She doesn't remember any of Forks," Edward stated, horror in his voice and face. Alice appeared behind him, saying quickly,

"Carlisle, Bella can't,"

"Remember anything. I know." Carlisle said quietly, looking down at Bella, who was utterly and absolutely confused. And his only thought was,

"_How the hell am I supposed to explain this to Charlie, who is a father on his deathbed?"_

Well, betcha didn't see that coming! Thanks for reading, and we'll see Charlie in the next chapter, possibly for the last time. :( Adios for now!


	3. Still Breathing, Still Living

Chapter 3 is up! Now we see Charlie's reaction, and more Carlisle/Bella bonding, as doctor/patient though, since she still can't remember. :) Enjoy!

"Everyone, out," Carlisle ordered quietly, ushering Edward, Alice and Esme, who had just walked in, out. He carefully walked back to Bella's side, who was watching him apprehensively. "I'm Dr. Cullen, Bella, I've been treating you,"

"Oh, okay," Bella said, obviously relieved. "You don't get much sun in Phoenix, do you?"

"Bella, I have to tell you something, and you need to listen carefully, and know that I am telling you the truth," Carlisle said seriously, and Bella raised her eyebrows but nodded.

"Your mother married Phil a few years ago," At Bella's nod, he continued, "They had to go to Jacksonville for Phil's career, and you decided to move to Forks to live with your father, a few months after you started your junior year."

"Sounds like something I'd do," Bella muttered, and Carlisle twitched a smile, saying,

"Yes, well, you moved here, and a few weeks later, a car almost hit you in the parking lot, skidding on the ice. My adopted son, Edward, managed to get you out of the way,"

"And I ended up in the ER," She sighed, laying back and closing her eyes.

"That was a few years ago." Carlisle soothing voice said, and Bella shot back up, wincing at the pain.

"I'm okay, go on," She said quickly as Carlisle made to check her over.

"You and Edward began, dating, and then Edward broke up with you. We all left," Bella spluttered, interrupting him,

"Dating? We?"

"Me, my wife Esme, and our adopted children, Edward, Emmett and Alice Cullen, and Rosalie and Jasper Hale." Carlisle said carefully, and Bella blinked, saying,

"So you adopted 5 children?"

"5 teenagers, Edward's the youngest," Carlisle corrected, and Bella blew out a breath, trying to process everything.

"So after Edward broke up with me, I didn't take it well, did I?" At Carlisle's puzzled look, she added, "I know myself quite well, Dr. Cullen." 

"Please, it's Carlisle, Bella,"

"Alright, then, Carlisle, you all left, but you're here now,"

"Yes, well, Esme didn't take well to life in Los Angeles, which is where I received a job offer and took it. That's why we left, but when Esme wanted to go back, we all came back."

"Senior year, right?"

"Correct. You and Edward began dating again, and a little while after graduation, he asked you to marry him, and you accepted," Carlisle said gently, and Bella shook her head, saying,

"No way. Renee would flip, getting married before 30 is worse than the death penalty in her book," 

"Look at your left hand. I haven't lied to you before, why would I start now?"

Bella looked down at her left hand and almost cringed away from the ring on her ring finger. She set her jaw and said, "Well, I'm not sure if I believe it, but go on,"

"That was only a month ago, or so. My daughter, Alice, and Esme are working on planning your wedding."

"Oh no," Bella groaned, and Carlisle was on his feet immediately, saying,

"Where are you hurt, Bella?"

"Not that," She moaned, and Carlisle raised a brow. "Me. Walking down the aisle. Being stared at by hundreds of people. My equilibrium can't handle that!" She wailed, and Carlisle couldn't hold back his smile.

"I'm sure you can, Bella," 

"Well, I'm not marrying anyone I don't even know." Bella stated, and Carlisle said quickly,

"Of course, nothing will happen until you regain your memory,"

Bella nodded, saying, "If I'm in Forks, where's my dad?"

"Um, Bella, there's something I need to tell you…" Carlisle said gently, knowing that on top of losing the last few years of her life, she was going to lose her father now too.

Bella closed her eyes and fought the enormous headache building behind her eyes. All of this information…she couldn't believe she'd lost 2 years of her life, just like that.

To make sure, Bella grabbed the remote, wincing at the pain in her rib cage, and quickly flipped the TV on. True to Carlisle's word, it was September 13th, 2 months before her 19th birthday. "Oh God," Bella groaned, and then saw the pain on Carlisle's face.

"Was he there when I was attacked?" She asked quietly, and when Carlisle nodded once, she asked another question, "Did they hurt him too?"

"They shot him, twice."

"Just tell me what's going to happen to him, Carlisle, please," Bella begged, and Carlisle sighed.

"The bullets traveled in such a path that if I attempt to remove the bullets, it will kill him, but if they stay in, they will kill him anyways." He said flatly, and Bella closed her eyes.

"How long does he have?"

"Bella…"

"How. Long." She ground out, and Carlisle breathed,

"A few days at the most."

Her expression crumbled into one of complete pain, and Carlisle was instantly on high alert. "Are you in pain anywhere?" Carlisle's quiet voice said, and she looked at him, shaking her head but wincing at the movement. "That's what I thought," Carlisle said with a grim expression, increasing her dose of morphine.

"I want to stay with him. Can you move me to his room?" Bella pleaded, and Carlisle pondered the idea.

"I'll go see the other doctor about that. I'll be right back," He promised, and she nodded, saying,

"I'll be here," She settled back into the pillows and sighed as he left. "Maybe not the Bella you remember, but I'll still be here," She whispered, curling onto her side into a ball, ignoring the pain. She just wanted to crawl into that big blackness she'd been in a while ago and get away from it all.

"Oh no you don't," A calm voice instructed a few minutes later, pulling her back into her laying flat position. She glared at the doctor with her flat brown eyes, saying,

"I was actually comfortable,"

"No you weren't, you were in pain, and if you stayed like that for wrong, your mending bones could break again. Wouldn't want that, now would we?" Carlisle said gently, pulling the sheet back over her.

"I just want it all to come back and get out of this place," Bella whispered, and Carlisle squeezed Bella's hand, saying,

"It will, just give it time. After you mend completely, I've talked to Charlie and Renee about allowing my family and I to take you to different places, and hopefully that will jog your memory."

"You would do that?" Bella questioned, confusion in her eyes. Carlisle nodded seriously, saying,

"Yes. You're my patient, Bella, I care about your well-being, physically and mentally."

Bella thought hard, and then said, "You're the voice I heard, telling me that I had to keep breathing, keep living, and then, that was your hand I was squeezing, wasn't it?"

"Correct."

"Thank you. I wouldn't be living if it wasn't for you." Bella said unexpectedly, and Carlisle just patted her hand, saying,

"You're quite welcome, Bella."

"Now, about my transfer…" She hinted, and he nodded.

"I've cleared it. They're preparing the room for you right now. Charlie is ecstatic that you'll be staying with him. But I do have a request to make, Bella," Carlisle said, and Bella raised one eyebrow. "I don't wish to make Charlie any more anxious than he already is. For his sake, try to pretend you haven't lost your memory."

"I was already thinking that," Bella murmured, nodding. "It won't be too hard, I think. At least for a few days…" She trailed off, tears filling her eyes, though she blinked furiously to get them to dry up.

"It will be okay, Bella, eventually," Carlisle soothed, stroking her hair. The tears came sliding down her cheeks and he carefully hugged her, minding the machines she was still hooked up to.

"I don't want to lose my Dad," Bella sobbed quietly into Carlisle's shirt.

"You won't lose him, Bella, you'll know exactly where he is." Carlisle said quietly, rubbing her back in a circle motion, calming Bella down.

"But I want him here." She said stubbornly, her sobs fading but the tears still flowing.

"I know. And I'm so sorry, Bella," He replied with a sad voice, hugging her close.

Since there's virtually no Carlisle/Bella father/daughter in the series, I figure that if she lost her memory, I might as well start her rapport back with her memory there, because he is a doctor, and he does care for her; she's a daughter to him, though he doesn't dare tell her that just yet. Will Bella get her memory back? I don't know, I haven't written it yet! Thanks so much for reading, and I hope you liked it! Adios for now!


	4. Small Recollections

Chapter 4 is up! This chapter is basically Bella trying to remember as she's moved to Charlie's room, and then those last few days. :(

When Carlisle turned to walk out, Bella said hesitantly, "Dr. Cullen?"

"Yes, Isabella?" Carlisle said, pausing at the door.

"Bella."

"Carlisle." He countered, turning around. Bella managed a smile, saying,

"Fine, you got me. _Carlisle_, then, why am I in here? I mean, what happened to me?"

Carlisle's face flashed with something, something Bella couldn't place because it was gone before she could process it. "Bella, I'm not sure if you should hear what happened to you, it could disrupt the healing process," He hedged, and Bella looked pointedly at the chair Charlie had vacated, and said,

"Please," 

With a sigh, Carlisle sat down and said, "Bella, four men came to your house, and overpowered Charlie, shot him with his own gun. They grabbed you and took you to the outskirts of Forks, to a dark alley,"

Bella nodded, looking at him to go on. With a sigh, Carlisle said, "The nurse did a kit, and,"

"They raped me, didn't they?" Bella said flatly, and when Carlisle nodded once, Bella covered her forehead with her hands. She fell silent, and stayed that way until Carlisle carefully pulled her hand away. "I want to go back there. To the alley." Bella stated, and Carlisle shook his head.

"No, Bella, you can't,"

"Why not?" She challenged, and Carlisle replied,

"Because you're body still needs to heal. A few more days, and then you can go. Don't forget, you're moving to Charlie's room today, in a few hours. And I'll take you anywhere you'd like to go."

Bella considered that, and she said, "All right. I want to see my Dad. But before I go, can you tell me everything that's happened in the two years since I moved to Forks? Not just the overview you already gave me, like actual details. Just so I can try to look like I don't have amnesia."

"I can't tell you everything, but I can tell you who you can ask to get the rest of your information, deal?"

"Deal." Bella agreed, and shook Carlisle's hand. Just then, Renée rushed in through the door, breathing,

"Bella!"

Carlisle swiftly moved out of the chair as Renee gently threw her arms around Bella's shoulders and squeezing as carefully as she could. "Oh, baby does it hurt anywhere?" Renee questioned frantically, looking over at Carlisle.

"Bella is healing, she can leave in a few days."

"We were so worried about you, Bella. Don't you worry, your memory will come back. And you can come live with me and Phil until it does," Renee said soothingly, and Bella's eyes clouded with confusion.

"But, but I don't want to leave Forks,"

Renee froze, saying, "Why?"

"I, I'm not sure," Bella said slowly, blinking a few times. "I only know that I really, really don't want to leave Forks, even though it's too green." Bella looked shocked. "Where did that come from?"

"Your memory, it's trying to come back," Carlisle said briskly, though inside he wanted to leap for joy. Her memory was indeed coming back. Slowly, obviously, but still, coming back. He checked her vitals, and saw that her brain activity had definitely increased since Renee had mentioned going back to Jacksonville.

"Bella, sweetie, you'll love Jacksonville," Renee soothed, brushing back Bella's hair. Carlisle cleared his throat and said,

"I'd rather Bella stay here; my daughter and I were planning on taking her to a few places to help jog her memory,"

"Oh! Of course," Renee said, a little shocked. She hadn't realized that if Bella saw everything again, there might be a better chance of regaining her memory. "There's always later, Bella, no worries." She added, kissing Bella's temple.

"Um, Mom, did you tell Phil that I'm okay?"

Renee thought, and then her eyes grew wide. "No, I forgot! I'll be back, Bella, I promise,"

"It's okay, Mom, I'm fine, go talk to Phil," Bella said quickly, and Renee sighed, touching the top of Bella's head.

"All right. I'll see you later, Bella." Renee disappeared out the door, and Bella immediately looked at Carlisle.

"Did you tell her about Charlie?"

"Yes. She doesn't think I've told you yet, though. That's why she didn't mention it. She's been spending most nights in his room, both of them worried about you, and she's been worrying about him." Carlisle replied. Bella nodded, and then and her eyes slowly became unfocused. Carlisle walked out, going to get Bella's high school friends that were out in the waiting room to see her before they moved her to Charlie's room.

Carefully, Bella sat up, and swung her legs down so they were touching the ground. She didn't try to get up, and blinked a few times, seeing a light flashing in her eyes, and Charlie's voice, saying something sharply to another kid.

"Bella? What are you doing?" Carlisle demanded, striding back into the room and carefully pushing her back down. "You could reopen your wounds," He scolded, and Bella looked at him, her eyes still unfocused.

"You, and Charlie, and a concussion, and, and, Tyler…" She mumbled, and Carlisle bent down slightly.

"What do you remember, Bella?" 

"Tyler's van, sliding on the ice, almost hits me, but I slipped to the ground, I think. Then I end up here, and this nurse, and Charlie, and Tyler's apologizing, and then Charlie almost yells at him, and then you walk in, and shine a light in my eyes, and then you let me go." Bella said quickly, blinking as her eyes refocused.

"That's good, Bella, very good, do you remember anything else?" Carlisle asked, wondering if she remembered Edward saving her.

"Um…" Bella hedged, straining to think. "No." She stated finally, blinking up at Carlisle. A small sigh escaped his lips, and he nodded, saying,

"It'll come, Bella. For now, your friends want to see you."

"Tyler, Jessica, Angela, Ben, Mike and Lauren." Bella said with a nod, and then looked shocked.

"Do you know who they are?"

"Yeah, they sit at my lunch table, and, I can remember all of my teachers. Whoa, that's a head rush." Bella's voice wavered at all the incoming information.

"Just take a deep breath," Carlisle soothed, and Bella's eyes closed. Without her noticing, he increased her morphine dose slightly, and slowly Bella drifted off to sleep; Carlisle's intention.

"I, remember," She mumbled under her breath as her body went limp with sleep. Carlisle put the morphine back to normal and walked out of the room, seeing the group of newly-graduated teenagers.

"I'm afraid Bella has gone back to sleep," Carlisle said apologetically, and Angela's, Mike's and Ben's faces fell.

"Call me when she wakes up, okay?" Angela begged, scribbling on a piece of paper and handing her number to Carlisle.

"I will," Carlisle promised, and everyone else handed him their number as well. The group walked away. He smiled slightly, knowing that Angela was the only one he'd call. From what he'd heard from Edward, Angela was the one true friend she had in Forks High School.

Carlisle went to the waiting room, seeing Edward sitting in a chair, staring off into space. "Son, you need to go home." Carlisle said quietly, sitting next to Edward.

"I know I can't see Bella," Edward said hollowly, adding, "It might freak her out, I get that, but you have no idea how much it's killing me inside that she might never remember me. I used to kid myself, thinking I could leave, but now, I'm not sure whether I can or not,"

"Give it time, son. Alice and I will take her back to Phoenix, maybe have Jasper come down with us. We'll take her back to our house, have Jacob take her back to the reservation, see that her friends take her through the high school. We'll take her to Italy if we have to." Carlisle said soothingly, squeezing Edward's shoulder.

"No." Edward thundered quietly, glaring at Carlisle. "Don't take her to Italy. Aro and the Volturi will have her in an instant, since she's not a vampire." Edward's voice turned mocking as he added, "They don't understand such trivial things as memory loss."

"All right, not Italy," Carlisle agreed, and watched with sad eyes as Edward's head fell back to his hands. "We'll get her back, son, we'll get her back." Carlisle said quietly to Edward, and got up, getting back to his rounds.

Okay, there was definitely no cliff-hanger there, maybe I'm losing my touch! Haha just kidding, and thanks so much for reading! You know what the next chapter will be, and I'll be crying when I'm reading it! :( Adios for now!


	5. Reluctant Goodbye

**Chapter 5 is up! I think I might be back into the cliff-hanger mood…ha-ha! This is probably the most depressing chapter, and that hint will give everything away. I was listening to "I'll Be There" by The Escape Club while writing/rereading this, it's such a bittersweet song, and it fits this chapter perfectly. Enjoy!**

The nurses soon were ready to move Bella, and within the hour she was settled in Charlie's room, and as soon as he woke up, there was a tearful reunion between father and daughter. Carlisle and the nurses quickly left the room to give them their privacy.

Bella was allowed to sit in a chair now, and she grabbed the one with wheels and scooted over to sit next to Charlie. "Hey Dad," Bella said quietly, her eyes glistening at the sight of her father lying on his deathbed.

"Bella! Oh, I'm so glad to see you," He rasped, grabbing her hand and touching her cheek. His eyes roamed over her, desperate to commit her image to memory, not knowing how much time he had left.

He wasn't much of a praying man, but ever since he discovered he was dying, he prayed every day and night that he could live to see his daughter's eyes again. Now that prayer had come true, and he was certain he wouldn't live more than a few days.

"I'm sorry, Bella, that I'm leaving you," Charlie coughed, and Bella immediately shushed him, saying with a choked voice,

"It's okay, Dad, I'll be okay. Especially knowing that you're free of pain and agony up there,"

Charlie nodded, his eyes glistening now too. "I'm leaving this world unwillingly, just the way I came in," He joked, and Bella had to smile.

"Sounds like a good way to go." She joked back, and then Charlie's face turned serious.

"And now, I'm not gonna get to walk you down the aisle. I'll be watching to see you in your pretty dress, but I can't walk you down the aisle, or dance with you at your wedding, or hold my grandchildren…" Charlie said heartbreakingly, tears running down his face.

"Oh Dad…" Bella sighed, getting up and crawling into bed with her father. Normally it would feel weird, but under the circumstances, she was grateful for the time with him. "It will break my heart for you not to be at my wedding." She whispered, tears flowing.

"I've asked Carlisle, if you agree, to walk you down the aisle for me. He's your second father, and I couldn't ask for a better man to replace me."

"No one can ever replace you." Bella said firmly, grabbing onto his hospital gown tightly.

"I know, Bells, but at least he'll be there for you, when I can't," Charlie said practically, and then hugged Bella close.

"Oh, I love you Dad," Bella murmured, and Charlie stroked her hair, whispering back,

"I love you too, Bells, so much,"

The father and daughter slipped into sleep, comforted for the fleeting moment in each other's arms.

In the morning, Bella awoke to Charlie shaking her for breakfast time. Carlisle brought them their food, and allowed Bella to stay in Charlie's hospital bed. After breakfast, Bella and Charlie had a few more heart-to-heart discussions, and then Charlie's breathing became labored.

"Dad, oh Daddy," Bella cried, as she felt her father slipping away from her. "Carlisle!" She screamed, though she knew he could do nothing for her father.

Immediately two figures appeared in the room, the familiar Carlisle and the unfamiliar boy that looked to be about her age. "Edward," Charlie wheezed, and the boy stepped up to him, grasping his hand.

"Yes sir?"

"Take care of her, take care of my baby girl," He gasped, and Edward nodded, gripping his hand while Bella clung to his chest tightly, not caring or hearing who was speaking to Charlie. She was too busy willing her father to live, though she knew it was futile.

"I love you Daddy, please don't leave me," Bella whimpered as Charlie brushed one of her tears away, muttering,

"Love you too, Bells. I'm sorry." With that, the heart monitors went flat, and Bella felt like her heart had shattered. She had never been nice to her father, by not making secret her hate of Forks, and he associated that with a hate for him.

"NO!" Bella screamed, sobbing. Strong, cool hands tried to pry her from Charlie's body, but she was having none of it. "Get away from me!" She demanded, holding a death grip on Charlie's arms. The cool hands disappeared, and Bella cried herself to sleep in her father's arms for the last time.

Bella awoke, and didn't open her eyes for the longest moment, trying to remember what happened after she cried herself out. She remembered those same cool hands taking her somewhere, and then she felt more morphine flooding her system and she conked out.

Her eyes opened, and she saw that she was back in her original room. Tears leaked from her eyes as she thought of her father, now lying in the hospital morgue.

Whenever Carlisle or some nurse or even Renée came by and tried to talk to her about Charlie, she'd change the subject and stubbornly keep off of the subject. She didn't trust her emotions to not get out of hand if Charlie was discussed in the slightest.

But every night she cried herself to sleep, missing her father so much and whispering every night, "I want my Daddy back."

2 weeks slowly crawled by, with Bella's health and injuries slowly healing. By the end of the third week, Carlisle was ready to release her. Any normal doctor who didn't know the patient would have released Bella a week before, but Carlisle cared about Bella. He wasn't about to go let her clumsy-self out of the safe hospital until she was fully and totally healed.

Bella had just finished dressing when Carlisle came into the room, pushing a wheelchair. She stared at him, and then at the wheelchair. "Are you serious?"

"Yes. Hospital rules, Bella, you know that," Carlisle said dismissively, waving at the chair.

"But I feel so helpless in one of those things," Bella moaned, shoving her hand through her hair.

"No one will think of you as helpless, Bella, this is a hospital, almost everyone's in a wheelchair," Carlisle soothed, and with a glare at Carlisle, she lowered herself into the chair.

Being very careful, Carlisle pushed her through the hallways, and to the front doors. When Bella saw the committee waiting for her outside the doors, she cringed. "Have I ever told you that I hate being at the center of attention?" She muttered to Carlisle, who laughed and pushed the doors open.

"Bella!" Renée exclaimed, flying at her daughter, hugging her tightly and blubbering about how she was so glad her baby was safe and healthy. When Renée tearfully pulled back, Bella braced herself with the arm rests and slowly struggled to sit up. Renée went to help her, but Carlisle held up a hand to stop them.

Bella shot him a grateful look and stood up, looking proud of herself. "I told you, you are not helpless, Bella," Carlisle said quietly behind her, and Bella looked over her shoulder, seeing a proud look in his eyes for her.

"Do you always have to be right?" She inquired with a raised eyebrow, and Carlisle laughed as Angela ran up, followed by Jessica, Mike and Ben. Lauren hung back, and Tyler waited with her for only a moment before jogging up to the group around Bella too.

When Bella had said "I'm fine" about a million times, the group started to disperse, with all of Bella's friends having something to do. That's when Bella's eyes caught a group standing yards away, watching her. Carlisle saw her looking, and walked to her side.

"That's my wife, Esme," He pointed out, and then said, "Next to her on the right is Emmett, then Rosalie, then Jasper, and on her left is Alice, and Edward."

Bella looked at all of them, and blinked. "I've seen a few of them at school. Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper and Alice sit at the same table, at school," She blurted out, and then looked surprised with herself. "I don't remember Edward though," Bella added thoughtfully, and slightly disappointed.

Carlisle glanced at his family, and his son's expression was heart-breaking, to say the least. "It'll come," Carlisle said, and he felt he had said that phrase so many times, like it was going out of style.

Bella nodded slowly as Alice came over. Carlisle's eyes warned her, but she paid no attention as she hugged Bella and said, "Oh Bella, I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Thanks, Alice," Bella said, hugging her back. She pulled back and looked at Alice, saying, "I feel like I know you, like you're my, sister, or something close to that,"

"We were, Bella," Alice said happily, hugging her again. Bella smiled, relieved and said,

"Glad I'm not just going crazy."

"Nope." Alice said with a grin, but added in a low voice, "At least not yet,"

"Hey! I heard that!" Bella protested, but then laughed.

**End of this chapter! It was getting a little too long, compared to the other chapters (I know most of you would disagree though) so I ended it here for now. Next chapter coming soon, and sad stuff ahead, I'm warning you now! I hope you liked it, and adios for now!**


	6. Coming Home

Chapter 6 is up! This is Bella coming home, but she doesn't know the Cullens, so she doesn't know they're vampires! And she doesn't know Jake's a werewolf either…will they tell her? And how does she fare when she finally goes home, to a house without Charlie? Enjoy!

Alice then looked pointedly at Carlisle.

"Let the poor girl rest for a few days before we start, Alice," Carlisle said with a half-smile, and Bella looked from Alice to Carlisle and back again.

"He means before we start the hunt for your memory," Alice confided in Bella, who looked confused.

"Why can't we start today?"

"Because, Bella, we need to, um, plan the, you know, the funeral." Alice said gently, and Bella suddenly froze, but then relaxed, nodding and saying,

"Yes, of course. I, I know Renée won't be of much help, and I really don't want to do it alone…"

"I'll help you, Bella, and so will Carlisle, and Esme. I doubt I can convince Emmett or Jasper, maybe Rosalie, not Edward," Alice said, her voice trailing off as she thought.

"I don't want too many people." Bella said quickly, and Alice nodded.

"Of course. Are you staying in our house while…" At Carlisle's firm negative shake of his head Alice changed direction and said, "So you're staying at Charlie's house?"

"I want to."

"But you won't be staying alone. I'll be in the guest bedroom, unless you'd prefer Alice. You can't be alone, Bella, not for at least a week. If something happens…" Carlisle insisted, and Bella nodded.

"You two can fight for it. I don't care."

Just then, Jake ran up with most of the pack behind him. "Whoa, Jake, are these your new friends? And what's with the short hair?" Bella asked in amazement, glad she recognized him from the summers she spent at Forks.

A confused look crossed his face. "I've had my hair cut for a while now. And Bella, you know Sam, and Quill, and Embry, and Paul, and Seth…" He would've continued, but Bella said tiredly,

"Jake, I can't remember my last two years here. All I can remember are the first few days of school, and you with long hair. That's about it."

"Oh. Wow." Jake said bleakly, and then crouched down to her level. "That really sucks, Bella, I'm sorry. Are you feeling okay?" He asked in concern, and she shrugged.

"I've been better, I'm sure. How's your dad?" She asked, knowing that he and Charlie were good friends.

"Pretty hard. First Harry, now Charlie…"

"Harry?"

"Harry Clearwater. He died of a heart attack last year." Jake said sadly, and Bella took a deep breath, closing her eyes.

"Wow. That must've been hard on Sue, and their kids, Seth and Leah, right?"

"Yeah. You remember them?"

"Faintly. I can remember some stuff from my trips here." Bella said with a shrug, and Jake nodded, looking at Carlisle and Alice, raising his eyebrows. They didn't need Edward to tell them that he was asking if Bella knew about vampires and werewolves. Carlisle subtly shook his head no, and Jake looked back at Bella.

His expression softened and he said, "I'm really sorry about your dad, Bella. If you need anything at all…"

"I'll call you. Thanks, Jake," Bella said quietly, and seeing her nearly helpless in a wheelchair without her memory and having just lost her dad, it infuriated Jake. Life wasn't fair at all for Bella Swan. He muttered a quick goodbye and ran off, with the pack following him. Bella watched him go with a curious look on her face and she looked up at Carlisle.

"Can I go home now?" She asked in a tired voice. Carlisle nodded and pushed her over to his black Mercedes while Alice helped her into the passenger seat. Esme crawled into the back with Alice while Carlisle drove to the house Bella had known as a child.

"Esme, you must one heck of a woman to put up with this guy over here," Bella muttered, clutching the arm rests until her knuckles were white. Esme chuckled and said,

"Maybe you should slow down, dear," Carlisle looked at the speedometer and let go of the gas pedal, letting the speed drop to below 50, though he had been going over 80.

"Thank God. No, thank Esme." Bella said gratefully, looking back at her. She beamed at Bella, and replied,

"You're very welcome. I wanted to ask you something," Esme hedged, and Alice grinned, leaning forward as they pulled in front of Bella's house.

"She wants to know if she can help redecorate some of your home." Alice said, grinning, her eyes dancing merrily with laughter.

Bella stared at Charlie's house and said faintly, "Um, Esme, you can do whatever you want with my bedroom, but please, I'd rather leave the house the way it is. I, I guess maybe, maybe I just want Charlie in the house still, I don't know," She yanked the door open and since all 3 vampires had to focus on not acting like vampires, they couldn't stop her before she all but ran over to the house, yanking the front door open and clambering up the stairs.

They were right behind her as she collapsed on Charlie's bed, sobbing, asking, "I want my Daddy back, oh God why? Why did you take him? I need him, God, please, I can't handle this, I can't do this without him," Her entire frame shook with her tears and Esme held her hand out to stop Carlisle from entering the room. She quietly knocked, and Bella hiccupped, trying to stem the tears.

"Come in," She said in a broken voice, and Esme stood at the side of the bed. She held out her arms hesitantly, and Bella gratefully crawled into them like a lost child in search of a mother. Esme rocked Bella and murmured to her as she shot Alice and Carlisle a look. They wisely disappeared downstairs, and Alice said,

"I think maybe both of us should stay with her, if not all three of us."

"And I believe you're right. She needs constant care, physically and emotionally." Carlisle mused, dropping into a chair.

Alice, knowing he wanted to be left alone, slipped outside and pulled her cell phone out to call Rosalie. "Alice? How's Bella doing?" Rosalie asked immediately, as Edward was right next to her.

"She's in Charlie's bedroom with Esme. She, she's broken, Rosalie, she's lost her memory and her father all in one sitting. It's tough." Alice admitted, covering her eyes with her hand.

"I wish there was something I could do. Something we could do." Rosalie said quietly, as she genuinely felt terrible. She disliked Bella, but only because she was jealous of Bella's humanity, and felt it was wrong for her to want to give it up. But petty feelings could be pushed away in light of a tragedy, and losing a father and memory was a tragedy. She shivered, thinking of what it would feel like if Emmett lost his memory and forgot they were soul mates.

"Me too," Alice spoke, pulling Rosalie from her reverie. "But I called to ask you if you would help Esme and I sort out Charlie's funeral. I know Bella will want to do it, but, if I can spare her some heartache, I will."

"Of course. Just let me know and I'll be right over."

"All right. We'll do it at Bella's house, because we can't have her over our house. She's forgotten about vampires, and Carlisle said if we told her, the Volturi would come for sure, since she doesn't know she's Edward's mate."

"I agree. Call me when you're ready, okay?"

"Will do. Love you, sis," Alice suddenly said, still hearing Bella mourn the loss of her father. Rosalie knew and felt the same way, replying quietly,

"Love you too, Alice."

They hung up, and Alice sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. She could hear Carlisle pacing in the kitchen and Esme murmuring softly to Bella, whose sobs were slowly quieting. When her sobs stopped completely, Alice slowly walked upstairs. Bella was sitting up, and Esme wiped her tears away as she saw Alice standing in the doorway.

"You can come in, you don't have to stand there." Bella muttered, rubbing her eyes. Esme still had her hand on Bella's back, rubbing soothingly. Alice came in and sat on the bed, unable to stop herself from staring with horror at Charlie's closet.

"Terrible style." Alice couldn't help but mutter to herself, and Bella sucked in air quickly, her eyes going wide and blank as she stared at Alice.

Well, depending on your viewpoint, that could be considered a cliff-hanger…what do you think will happen? I hope you enjoyed this chapter, as it took me a few tries to get Bella's melt-down right. I've never lost my father, but I have lost my grandma, so I tried to make it realistic. Thanks so much for reading! :)


	7. Memories and Nightmares

Chapter 7 is up! Now to resolve the cliff-hanger from the last chapter…what happened to Bella? Will it change anything? And why does she feel like something's missing from her life…enjoy!

"Bella?" Carlisle said immediately, having literally flown up the stairs at the sound of her gasp. "Does it hurt?" He asked, touching her wrist gently to gouge her reaction. She kept staring with her blank eyes, and Alice said quietly,

"She's remembering something." Carlisle backed off, though Esme continued to rub her back.

"I, I don't have a crappy wardrobe, Alice. Just because you don't dress me like you do the rest of your family doesn't mean you get to dress me. We may be best friends and all, but I am not the type to wear designer clothes. I'd just ruin them, and you know it."

Alice remembered the conversation too and jumped in, saying with a pout, "But Bella! You have to admit, I'm a life-saver when it comes down to the line. Remember graduation?"

"Yes," Bella groaned, but then smiled. "You were a life-saver. But I don't wear designer clothes! Alice, I am not a dress person."

"Every one is a dress person," Alice countered, and added, "Except guys. I can never get Emmett or Jasper into a dress. I definitely haven't tried with Carlisle, he'd just give me that look, or Edward because he'd read my mind and be miles away before I could even lift the dress up."

Bella shuddered and her eyes cleared again. "Whoa…freaky…" Bella said, holding her hand to her head.

"Are you ill?" Carlisle asked, and Bella shook her head slowly, saying,

"No, but man, talk about a head rush. It's like, a bunch of images and scenes downloading to my brain and overloading it. Freaky."

"I'd say. We just had a whole conversation, Bella," Alice said with a grin.

"Yeah. About my damn wardrobe." Bella muttered, scowling. Her brow furrowed, and Esme asked quietly,

"What's wrong, Bella?"

"I, I feel like there's this big part that I'm missing. I'm getting bits and pieces of all of you, and Jake, and my dad, and people in town, and my high school and friends and whatnot, but there's this hole. And I feel like without it, I can't finish the play. I, it's hard to explain," Bella said with a frustrated sigh.

All three Cullens exchanged knowing looks. That 'hole' was Edward Cullen and her brain was blocking him from her memory for some reason. Or maybe it was her heart that was blocking him from her mind.

"It's okay, Bella, it'll come," Esme said quietly, and Carlisle nodded.

"See? It's coming back, just slowly. If all your memory came flooding back in one moment, your brain would be overloaded and would shut down, which would put you in a coma." _Or worse_ he added in his head, and Alice grimaced at him, knowing what he was thinking. She could be brain-dead if her brain simply shut down on her.

"Yeah, I know," Bella muttered, drawing her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs. "When can we go to the places you were talking about?" She asked, resting her cheek on her right knee.

"Um, Bella, maybe we should wait a week or so…" Esme suggested quietly, her hand stilling on Bella's back.

"Oh. Yeah. Maybe." Bella said in a sad voice. She took a deep breath, burrowing her face in her knees for a second and then looked up as Alice said,

"Want me to call Rosalie to come over? We can start arranging the funeral if you'd prefer now."

"No, Alice, I just, I need some time. To adjust, I guess, I really don't know," Bella admitted, blinking back tears furiously.

"Take all the time you need, Bella. Don't worry about it." Carlisle said supportively, patting her on the knee.

"I just, I hate not knowing anything," Bella sighed, and suddenly slid off of the bed, rising to her feet.

"Where are you going?" Carlisle asked, and Bella shoved a hand through her hair.

"You know, I don't know. And I don't care." Bella replied, and slipped past him, thundering down the stairs and through the front door. Alice was already in her room, watching from the front window as Bella walked down the driveway, and stopped short when her eyes caught the sight of Charlie's cruiser.

Carlisle and Esme were watching from the front door as Bella opened the passenger seat and climbed in, sitting there. Her frame was hunched over, and was shaking with the weight of her grief. Esme buried her face in Carlisle's face, saying bleakly,

"She has to grieve, I know, but I wish I could help her."

"I know," Carlisle said with a sigh, pressing his lips to her temple. "All we can do is hope that being here for her will help her in some way, shape or form,"

"Yes. And what are we going to do about her memory? If she never remembers Edward, he will be miserable for the rest of his life. And if she's not in love with Edward, then she can't know about us, or the Volturi will kill her for sure, because she will have no reason to join our family and be changed," Esme worried, and Carlisle eased her back, pressing his finger gently to her lips.

"It'll all work out. It has to." Carlisle murmured, replacing his finger with his lips.

"That was my line." Esme complained, with a grin. He chuckled, remembering the first time Edward had brought Bella to the Cullen home, and when he had climbed the trees with her, he and Esme had discussed if it could ever end well, and Esme's response had been "It'll all work out in the end."

They stood in the doorway for a lengthy amount of time, and finally Carlisle caught the sound of Bella's even breathing, signaling that she had fallen asleep. He let Esme go and walked to Charlie's cruiser, gently lifting Bella from the passenger seat and carrying her effortlessly into the house. Esme preceded him, opening the doors and when Carlisle laid her in the bed, Esme tucked her in with the gentle touch of a mother.

Alice decided to run back to the Cullen home and stay there to update Edward and the others on Bella's condition, while Carlisle and Esme stayed with Bella. They sat on the couch downstairs, talking in low voices about where they should take Bella to help her regain her memory. Esme suggested that they go in chronological order, by first taking her back to Phoenix, and having her say goodbye to Renée before flying to Seattle and then into Port Angeles, and then to Forks.

Then they discussed taking her through the school as accordance to her schedule, and include her friends in that part. All sorts of places popped up in their discussion, like the clearing where they played baseball, and the ballet studio where James had lured her and nearly killed her. That was something both Carlisle and Esme wanted to avoid, but both agreed it shouldn't be skirted. They both hoped that Bella would remember Edward by then.

There were quite a few places they couldn't take Bella as of right then, like their house for her birthday party, or Italy, or the place she and Edward had stayed while the Cullens and the werewolves had fought the newborns and faced the Volturi.

And there was the matter of when the Cullens had left. Carlisle was adamant that they would not leave Bella again, but maybe taking Bella to the place where Edward left her would bring back those memories. Esme had suggested that maybe Bella didn't need that memory, but after some discussion, she agreed that it might help Bella remember Edward.

They were just getting to the part where Edward proposed to Bella in his bedroom when Bella's gasp reached their ears. Both of them froze, and then Bella's scream pierced the air. Faster than a bullet from a gun, Carlisle and Esme were up the stairs and in Bella's room. She was whipping her head back and forth, tossing and turning, lost in her nightmare. Her labored breathing was punctuated by her breathing,

"Charlie, no Charlie, no." Then screaming, "Daddy! No! You shot him! You son of a…" Her scream was interrupted when she rolled over and her face was pressed into her pillow. When she flipped back over, she yelled, "Let go of me! Let go!" Her screams quieted to a whimper and she whispered, "Don't hurt me, please, no don't, please!"

Well, that wasn't a cliff-hanger, but they all can't be cliff-hangers! I ended it there as it was the best place to stop, since the next scene will be lengthy. It's so hard picking out the right places for the Cullens to take Bella back to, because if she remembers something with vampires in it, but not that she's in love with Edward, then she's in serious trouble, if the Volturi find out. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and thanks for reading!


End file.
